Barry Mahoney

It was a climb up Mount Washington that did it. “I probably shouldn’t have hiked all that way with a sore hip,” recalls Barry Mahoney. But the 61-year-old is active: a life-long sports enthusiast, he’s an avid hiker and works in heavy construction.

After that day trip, Mahoney’s right hip ached. At first, things like yard work were difficult; then it was hard to walk around. “Eventually, I was so uncomfortable, it was hard to sleep,” he says.

Finally, he made an appointment to see Dr. James Bono at New England Baptist Hospital. “My sister-in-law works in the medical field and is in and out of all the hospitals in Boston. She told me I absolutely needed to go to the Baptist,” he says.

Mahoney remembers feeling confident in Bono, who recommended a total hip replacement, in his very first appointment. “Dr. Bono showed me the x-rays, explained what was damaged, and even showed me the parts they’d use.”

Surgery and rehab went extraordinarily well, with Mahoney back to normal activities after eight weeks. The process was so smooth, in fact, that when his left hip and then knee failed, he headed right back to the Baptist and Bono.

Two months after his last surgery in October, Mahoney did a two-mile hike near his home in Clinton and was elated. “For the first time I can remember, I didn’t have any pain,” he says. “Now, I wish I had done all this sooner. My advice to people thinking about joint replacement is to get it done at the Baptist — and don’t wait. It makes such big difference in your quality of life.”